Thomas g



(No Model.)

T.G.BENNETT LOCKING MEANS FOR OPERATING LEVBRS OF FIREARMS.

110.589,201. Patented Aug. 31,1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT THOMAS G. BENNETT, OF NEV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

LOCKINGA MEANS-FOR OPERATING-LEVERS OF FIREARMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,201, dated August 31, 1897.

Application filed June 14,- 1897. Serial No. 640,618. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern: v

Be it known that I, THOMAS G. BENNETT, of New Haven, in the'county of NewA Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Lever-Guns 5 -and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings andthe letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-` Figure l, a broken view, in side elevation, of a gun constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a detached broken view of the rear end of the lever, showing the adaptation of its bow to form Va yielding hook. My invention relates to an improvement in that class of portable rearms called leverguns, for the reason that they are operated by a swinging operating or finger lever, the object being to provide for the automatic locking of the levers of such guns in their closed positions in such a manner that they may be unlocked without appreciable effort.

W'ith these ends in view my invention consists in an operating or finger lever having its bow pivoted to its shank and adapted to act as a locking-hook for locking the lever in its closed position.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, andv pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown the bow A of the operating or finger lever, which also comprises a shank A and two arms A2 A2, is adapted to discharge the ofce of a hook by forming an undercut A3 in its forward upper corner, thereby producing, as it were, a forwardly-turned nose A4, having a rounded or beveled operating-face A5, all clearly shown in Fig. The forward lower corner of the said bow is knuckle-jointed in the usual manner of forming such joints to the rear end of the shank A' of the lever, the bow and shank being pivotally connected by means of a heavy horizontally-arranged pin B, on which the bow swings within the very narrow limits permitted by the stop-shoulders a a and a' a of the knuckle-joint. Between the lower pair of stop-shoulders a' a I locate aplunger C,extending into a pocket C,for'med to receive it in the shank A', and also containing a light coiled spring C2, by'which the plunger is operated. The bow as thus constructed forms, as it were, a yielding lockinghook for the operating or finger lever and may properly be calleda hook It coacts, as shown, with a depending yieldingv framehook D, having a rearwardly-turned nose D, formed with a rounded or beveled operatingface D2. This hook I call the frame-hook"7 because, broadly speaking, it is connected with and depends from the frameof the gun; but Ido not wish to be understood as referring to any particular part of the gun by the term frame of the gun. As shown, the said frame-hook depends from and swings upon the pin D3, by means of which the rear end of the link E is connected with the frame of the gun. The forward end of the said link is connected by a pin E/ with the arms A2 of the lever, while the forward ends of the said arms A2 are connected in any approved manner with the breech-bolt F, which is maintained in its locked position by a vertically-movable recoil-block G, the lower end of which is engaged by the hooked forward end of the link E. These details of construction, however, need neither to be shown or described, as they may be of any approved construction and do not form a part of this present invention, which is applicable to lever-guns however constructed and not confined to use with such a lever-gun as herein shown. The said framehook D is free to turn within very narrow limits upon thc pin D3 and is yieldingly pushed rearward by means of a plunger H, engaging with its forward edge and encircled by a spring II', the said plunger' and spring being located, as shown, in a pocket Hforined for their recept-ion in the link E. This framehook,howeverconstructed and arranged, constitutes the locking member with which the pivotal spring-actuated bow of the operating or finger lever coacts.

It will be understood that just before the operating or finger lever is brought into its fully-closed position the beveled operating face A5 of the nose ALl of the yielding leverhook formed by its bow A will engage with the beveled operating-face D2 of the nose D IOO ` of the frame-hook D. The spring H' engi-rallowingthe framehook D to yieid and move dosed Position foi1 .looking it, therein- @ling tho plu-egel 'will then, eiomrresseo,

forward for the interlocking of the noses A4 and D of the two hooks. Just as soon as the nose A4 passesabove the nose D the spring H will reassertitself and push the .frl'hook D rearward, so as to interlock the two hooks,- whereby the operating or nger lever is positively held in its closed position and prevented from being disturbed in position by the recoil following the explosion of a car? tridge in the chamber of the gun-barrel.

When it`is desired to open the gun, its user, whose fingers are passed through the bow .of the lever, exerts a slight outward movement withrthe backs of his fingers, whereby the. spring C2 will be compressed, permitting' the bow to turn o n the pin B and the nose AL1 to be cleared from the nose D. p

vIn view of the changes suggested and of others which may obviously be made I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

vHaving fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a lever-gun, the combination with an operating or finger lever having its bow pivoted to its shank, and having its said bow constructed at its forward upper Corner to act as a hook; of means connected with the frame of tho gun totq boing engaged by the pivotal bow when the lever is brought into its 2. lIn a lever-gun, the combination with an operati-ng Meer lover having it bovenwote'd to its shank, and havingisaid bow constructed at its forward upper corner with o'tal bow of the lever when the lever is brought into its closed position in which it is locked by the coaction of the nose and the hook.

3. In a lever-gun, the combination with an operating or finger lever having its bow pivoted to its shank, and constructed to act as a hook, a spring coacting with the said pivotal bow, and ayielding frame-hook depending from the frame of the gun in position to be engaged by the pivotal bow when the lever is brought into its ,closed position, for looking it in that position. y

4- 111 e lever-gun, theoombinetion with operating or finger lover having its bow knuckle-jointed to its shank, and the two parts constructed with stop-shoulders limiting the pivotal movement of the bow, a spring 10o-ated below the .Seid joint and ooeoting With the bow to lift it into its locking PQStiQn; and a yielding lever-hook depending from the frame of theA gun in position to be engaged by the pivotal bow when the lover is loromhlo into its, Closed position, for looking the/Semo therein.

In testimony whereof I have .signed this Snooioaton in the presenoeA of t-Wo Subscribing witnesses. v

THOMAS .Gr.- 13E.NlE'I Witnesses; Y y

--DAMEL VEADEJR,

THOMAS C- JOHNSON- 

